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| Netanyahu faces key meeting amid Israel early polls call | Netanyahu faces key meeting amid Israel early polls call |
| (about 3 hours later) | |
| Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu is set to meet his finance minister on Sunday, in what is being seen as a last-ditch attempt to avert early elections. | Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu is set to meet his finance minister on Sunday, in what is being seen as a last-ditch attempt to avert early elections. |
| Moshe Kahlon's Kulanu party is vital to the governing coalition's survival. | |
| The talks come ahead of the weekly cabinet meeting, and amid a political crisis triggered by the defence minister's resignation on Wednesday. | The talks come ahead of the weekly cabinet meeting, and amid a political crisis triggered by the defence minister's resignation on Wednesday. |
| Talks between the PM and another coalition rival to find a way forward ended without agreement on Friday. | Talks between the PM and another coalition rival to find a way forward ended without agreement on Friday. |
| Naftali Bennett has threatened to pull his party Habayit Hayehudi out of the government if he is not appointed the new minister of defence. | Naftali Bennett has threatened to pull his party Habayit Hayehudi out of the government if he is not appointed the new minister of defence. |
| Former Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman quit in opposition to Israel's decision to accept a ceasefire with militants in the Gaza Strip after three days of intense violence last week. | Former Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman quit in opposition to Israel's decision to accept a ceasefire with militants in the Gaza Strip after three days of intense violence last week. |
| What has triggered this? | What has triggered this? |
| The withdrawal of Mr Lieberman and his Yisrael Beiteinu party left the coalition with just a one-seat majority in the Knesset (parliament). | |
| Mr Bennett's party is the third largest in the coalition. If he pulls out, Mr Netanyahu will be left with an unworkable minority. | |
| While Mr Bennett has called for early elections, Mr Netanyahu opposes them. | While Mr Bennett has called for early elections, Mr Netanyahu opposes them. |
| Mr Kahlon has also said he does not think the coalition can continue. | Mr Kahlon has also said he does not think the coalition can continue. |
| Under the law, elections are not due until November 2019 at the latest. | Under the law, elections are not due until November 2019 at the latest. |
| If elections are called, what will it mean? | If elections are called, what will it mean? |
| The current government has been in power since March 2015. It comprises mostly nationalist and religious parties which take a hard line towards dealing with the Palestinians and reject the notion of trading occupied land for peace. | |
| All Israeli governments are coalitions because of Israel's system of proportional representation, meaning no single party can govern alone. | All Israeli governments are coalitions because of Israel's system of proportional representation, meaning no single party can govern alone. |
| Although Mr Netanyahu does not want to call early elections, recent polls show he is still a favourite to be prime minister among the electorate, and his Likud party has the most support. | Although Mr Netanyahu does not want to call early elections, recent polls show he is still a favourite to be prime minister among the electorate, and his Likud party has the most support. |
| However, even if Likud remains the largest party, that does not necessarily mean it will stay in power if other parties can form a coalition without it. | However, even if Likud remains the largest party, that does not necessarily mean it will stay in power if other parties can form a coalition without it. |
| Mr Netanyahu has won four elections. If he remains in office past 31 May 2019, he will surpass Israel's founding father David Ben-Gurion as the country's longest-serving prime minister. | |
| What led to the crisis? | What led to the crisis? |
| Last Sunday, an undercover Israeli unit was intercepted in Gaza, which is run by the Palestinian militant group Hamas. | Last Sunday, an undercover Israeli unit was intercepted in Gaza, which is run by the Palestinian militant group Hamas. |
| An ensuing firefight, in which Israeli tanks and aircraft opened fire, left seven Palestinian militants and one of the Israeli commandos dead. | |
| Hamas unleashed some 460 rockets and mortars at Israel over the next 48 hours - the heaviest barrage since the two sides fought a war in 2014. Israel responded with 160 air strikes, targeting militant sites in Gaza. | Hamas unleashed some 460 rockets and mortars at Israel over the next 48 hours - the heaviest barrage since the two sides fought a war in 2014. Israel responded with 160 air strikes, targeting militant sites in Gaza. |
| The violence killed seven more people in Gaza and one in Israel. | The violence killed seven more people in Gaza and one in Israel. |
| On Tuesday, Hamas and Israel agreed to cease fire after Egyptian mediation. | On Tuesday, Hamas and Israel agreed to cease fire after Egyptian mediation. |
| Mr Lieberman and Mr Bennett both opposed Israel's decision, seeing it as a surrender. Mr Lieberman said it made his position untenable, while Mr Bennett demanded to become defence minister "so that Israel will go back to winning". |